Advanced developments in medicine technology and health care systems, among many other factors, are leading to people having a longer life expectancy than before. As this trends continues, a number of old age people will be greater than the young people. In several ways, society will benefit from this trend, however, I believe that the world population would face several challenges and the global economy will face a serious labor crisis.
On the positive side, an increase in the number of senior citizens means a greater pool of volunteers for community and government projects. These people are usually more financially comfortable and therefore willing to contribute free labor to ameliorate their communities. For instance, we can see that older people in developed countries engage in charity work to provide food, clothing, education, and health care services to the needy people of society. Such acts instils a great sense of responsibility and altruism in the young generation.
Nevertheless, an aging population may also create a pressures for governments and entrepreneurs. To illustrate, the organizations and governments have to pay pensions and bear the health care costs. Thus, young people have to bear a great financial burden and care for the elderly at the same time. Furthermore, lack of young labor would cause stagnation in the development of individuals’ businesses, which will adversely affect the country’s economy. As a matter of fact, many countries with more senior citizen than adults, such as Japan, are already experiencing these undesirable impacts.
In conclusion, although the benefits of older people are beneficial to society. However, the disadvantages overweigh the advantages.